Waiting for Godot: a Vision Towards Nothingness

Summary: 'Theatre of Absurd' is one branch of world drama where the form, characters and the central story were almost lost. But this loss of structure operated as a symbol of the anarchy that the dramatist of this genre wanted to portray. Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot is a cult drama in this genre. This essay examines various aspects of the play.

The early twentieth century had been overshadowed by two World Wars. It brought about uncertainties, despair, and new challenges to the mankind. The human conflict and wars have been part of civilization since ages. But the weapons for mass destruction were considered the signs of development. The destructive minds in the world used, rather misused the power which progress had provided. Millions of soldiers and civilians died along with untold amount of destruction of property in the wars affecting the ecology very badly. It left a permanent mark on all the aspects of human experience and changed the course of the post war world. The end of war diverted the outward conflict of man inwards. New terms like Modern Art and Existentialism developed reflecting the feeling of futility of life. The faces disappeared from the paintings and melody was replaced by loud music. The global conflict and the...